South Carolina executed inmate Freddie Owens, the first execution in 13 years in the state due to a lack of lethal injection drugs. Owens was convicted of killing a Greenville convenience store clerk during a robbery in 1997. Despite not making a final statement, Owens consumed a large last meal before being executed. After several appeals were denied, Owens was put to death using a sedative drug, with his lawyer present during the process. South Carolina has cleared the way for more executions every five weeks, with lethal injection, firing squad, and the electric chair as execution methods. The state changed its execution protocol by using pentobarbital to carry out death sentences.
Owens had a history of violence, including killing another inmate between his conviction and sentencing for the convenience store clerk’s murder. His last appeal was based on lack of scientific evidence in his case and alleged brain damage from prior trauma. Despite pleas for clemency and appeals, Owens was executed after the Supreme Court rejected his final appeal. The execution has brought scrutiny from anti-death penalty advocates and legal experts.
South Carolina has restarted the death penalty after years of legislative battles, with Owens being one of the first in line for execution due to exhausted appeals. The state has reduced its death row population significantly since the unintentional execution pause, with others receiving different sentences after successful appeals or dying of natural causes.
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